Work-Related Stress and its Relationship to Disordered Eating Behaviors in Athletic Trainer

Background: The relationship between stress and disordered eating has been clearly documented throughout literature. However, the research regarding unique work-related stress and disordered eating amongst healthcare professionals is scant and no research in this area has been conducted on athletic trainers (ATs). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine work-related stress and its relationship to disordered eating behaviors in athletic trainers. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Participating ATs completed a computer-based survey in November/December 2017. Participants: Responding participants were certified ATs randomly sampled from the National Athletic Trainer' Association (NATA) membership. One thousand participants were randomly selected but only 84 (8.4%) completed the survey in its entirety (n = 83; men = 26; female = 57; mean age = 31.96 +/- 9.22 years). Outcome Measures: Participants completed self-reported assessments of eating habits (the Revised-18 Three Factor Eating Questionnaire1) and perceived work-related stress (Perceived Stress Scale2) via an online platform that was accessed through a secure email link. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine hypothesized relationships among study variables. Results: Regression analyses demonstrated that perceived stress was a significant predictor of disordered eating behaviors (Adjusted R 2 = 0.18, p < .001) and, more specifically, emotional eating and uncontrolled eating. The majority of the sample (77%, n = 71) reported that stress affected their eating habits and 53% of those reported consuming a combination of sweet and salty foods. When compared to their male counterparts, women reported significantly higher stress levels (p < .05), total disordered eating scores (p < .01), controlled restraint scores (p < .05), and emotional eating scores (p < .001). Conclusion: Job-related stress within the athletic training profession should be considered a significant factor in the development of disordered eating behaviors. Further research is needed to examine stress level differences between ATs and the general population.